If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Honey locust trees as a nectar source?

Hello. I looked in my 1945 ABC & XYZ and The Hive and the Honey Bee and I can find black locust which is what I wanted to plant, but the grower isn't offering them this year. The grower is only showing honey locust, which I can't find mention of in the above books. So I was wondering, is honey locust a good nectar source? I am clearing around 5 acres of brushy woods ground and I know the blackberries and raspberries that will come in will provide nectar but I would like to plant trees that provide nectar. Thank you.

Not to knock Peggjam out of getting some land cleared :)

If you are in an area that has mining, talk to some of the reclaimation companies. They sometimes put black locust seed on the land they are reclaiming. The way those things grow here, there is only a year between a seed and a sapling you can transplant

Thanks all. I checked Musser forest website and they are selling Black locust seedlings. I like them for fenceposts and a little honey would be grand as well. Thanks for the offer peggjam, I'll be in touch.

locust honey is one of the best, its hard to get a good crop every year it doesnt bloom long and the weather has to cooperate, it seems to bloom in abundance every 3 years or so, but when you get a good crop it will bring top dollar.

Make sure any locust you get is thornless. The honey locust around here have thorns you can drive through an oak plank.

Made me laugh at your comment "thorns you can drive through an oak plank!" The young black locust I have on my property have wicked thorns, but the older ones don't, from what I can tell. Last year was a great year for honey from them though!

Just remember: the locust honey is generally from black locust, not honey locust.

If you ever try to get rid of locust trees, heed this true story: I had one, rotten and full of ants. leaning toward the house. I had it cut down, then went on a 2 week vacation. When I got back, the entire yard was covered with hundreds of locust trees, literally about a foot tall, that had sprung up from the root system. I cut and pulled and dug and chopped, but the only way to get them to stop was to choose one in a reasonable location (farther from the house), and let it grow. Then, all the little sprouts stopped. It just wanted to live.

“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.” -Henry David Thoreau

The multi-use possibility is why I wanted to go with the black locust. I'm glad I asked here and didn't just buy the honey locust. I am always in need of good fence posts and have been buying locust posts so it's time to plant for my own use. That they will also produce good bee forage on occasion is a bonus. Thank you for the info.

Off subject but what kind of locust is this?

On subject. Bees do visit honey locust for pollen, not good nectar source. I know honey and black locust, but what is the name of the locust that has a huge curly seed pod. The pod is 8 in log and curly. The seeds are as large as a bean. Now flower like black locust and no thorns. Seeds germinate readily.

that tree sounds "like" a honey locust to me. the pod is right, although a little small compared to the wild honey locust around here. also, a cultivar of the tree is grown without the thorns. I love this tree. shame it doesn't do so well for nectar.